The Prince, the Pauper and the Musicians
by NoctisStella20
Summary: Merging the two tales together, it's a whole new plot of twists! Kairi, the princess, found herself tangled in a whole new adventure with the down-on-their-luck musicians and stumbled across a chaotic kingdom, secret identities and a terrible conspiracy!
1. Prologue: The Fallen Kingdom

**The Prince, the Pauper and the Musicians**

**By: NoctisStella20**

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belonged to each of their creators and companies.**

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**A/N: **Okay, so as you know it, this is just a regular fan fiction for fun. No big deal out of anything, just fun. However, there would be some "musical" interludes in the story to make it more interesting. So, if can, drop in your critiques and things like that and I'll be happily reply or read it by any chance! Your comments are much appreciated.

This fan fiction is a rewrote from my last crossover story, Pauper, Prince and Musicians, where I found the storyline to be a bit, "bleh"… and I can't really write a good musical interludes. In addition, the title really had not changed much but the storyline had changed drastically! Yet, I'm keeping it up the same as the one I had from the last crossover story. I apologize if there is also any grammar mistakes in the story because English is not my first language. Other than that, enjoy!

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_**Prologue: The Fallen Kingdom**_

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_A long time ago, in a faraway land, there was a kingdom named Radiant Garden._

_Okay, you know what? Screw this. That opening is kinda old, don't'cha think? The land, ruled by the king, where everything starts out peacefully then fall into a deep, deep, trouble once a tyrannical second-in-command took the ruler's position away from him… la-de-la, same old stuff. A bit clichéd, don't you think?_

…_wait… that did actually happen in this kingdom. _

_Introductions aside, you would probably want to know who's narrating this prologue. Name's Axel, got it memorized? Good! Because the story that I'm going to told you guys will contain adventure! Romance! Comedy! And ooh, PLOT TWIST, I like the sound of that. Never seen any good stories with plot twist, but the writer's gonna give it a try. This is a bit off-topic, but I'm also the leader of the musicians in this story, so be on the lookout, boys and girls!_

_Okay, now where was I? Oh yeah, Radiant Garden. This really huge kingdom is ruled by Ansem the Wise, the big kahuna of this land. He's everything that you want for a king: benevolent, wise and eagerness to improve the kingdom. He's also blessed with a little tyke named Sora. Why in the name of Kingdom Hearts did he name the prince, __**SORA**__? It sounds like a girl! _

_Radiant Garden's troubles started when an old coot named Master Xehanort is in the house, bringing his disciple, Vanitas, along with him. According to the rumors, they were invited to become the part of the royal government after Master Xehanort single-handedly defeated the monsters, the Unversed, that had been plaguing the town. Folks, if I tell ya, I'd say it's a sham, but there was no evidence of that._

_Everything was fine until one night, when the palace is in a huge uproar when the king suddenly collapsed. The castle doctor, Crocus what's-his-name, told them that the king is gravely ill and it was a terminal disease that he had never seen before. Never the less, this left an opening for Master Xehanort to impose heavy taxes and horrible laws in the most corruptive way according to him. Vanitas was no better. Either he's spreading chaos and violence everywhere or he's giving anyone a 'penalty' for not paying their taxes. Of course, it is all done without any suspicion from the king, leaving these poor guys to mourn and furious at those bastards. _

_From that day on, Radiant Garden is in under a constant turmoil. The folks could only hope that once Prince Sora is crowned as a king, he would set this kingdom straight. But Master Xehanort does everything in his power to make sure that the prince and those 'all-high-and-mighty' people the castle remained clueless about the situation. Looks like there's no hope here, people… or is it? _

_See guys, there's something that Master Xehanort and Vanitas are not aware of. One morning, Prince Sora had a fateful encounter with a peasant while he was out on the streets. The only thing is, the peasant…_

…_is nearly identical to him. _

_Shocking, huh? Let's call him, Ventus. Afterwards, the two became inseparable. They had this idea that the two would switch their identities for a week and went back to their normal lives a week after, just because they're curious. Those guys continued their routine for years without having their cover blown from each of their sides, strengthening their friendship as each year passed. _

_So there you have it! You think that this prologue is over? Well, the real story starts right here, ladies and gentleman. And trust m - everything is going to be as exciting as seeing Stitch swallowing three pipes with each of a Goomba in it. As of now, I welcome you into this story, once and for all! _

_Enjoy. _


	2. A Crash on Life

**The Prince, the Pauper and the Musicians**

**By: NoctisStella20**

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belonged to each of their creators and companies.**

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**A/N: **Hi guys! And welcome back to the story! I guess I'm going to update is ASAP since I've got a lot of time and its Spring Break here… oh well. Just to remind you, this chapter is a bit longer than the previous chapter. If you guys can endure it, then you rock. I'll try to make it as interesting as possible and as usual, you may or may not leave any critiques or comments right here but I'll appreciate it if you do.

Just another note, the kingdom is a combination of fantasy and technology, so yes; there would be cars or computers in this story. It'll enable me to move the storyline freely as well as giving me freedom to write around the character's world instead of being just medieval.

Thank you, and enjoy the story!

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_**Chapter 1: A Crash on Life**_

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_**Years later, in the Kingdom of Midgar…**_

Kairi sat idly by the window, staring out at the vast land before her. It was noon and she had just finished her study with Merlin. Behind her, Namine, her sister, had busied herself by drawing plenty of doodles in her sketchbook. Her peaceful smiling face is in contrast with Kairi's brooding face. The two sisters are nearly identical in their appearance except for the fact that Kairi's red auburn hair is nothing to compare to Namine's light and serene locks. Just as their features can separate their identical appearances, so does their personality as well. While Namine is meek, obedient and loved art as much as her royal duties; Kairi wasn't interested in her "princess" status at all. As the matter of a fact, she was courageous and holds a penchant of adventure. Of all the princesses that everyone knew, she was infamous for often getting herself into trouble for sneaking out of the palace.

Today, however, Kairi did not want to think whether she would go out from the palace or not. She was busy thinking over the news that she and Namine had received earlier from their caretaker, Aqua. This morning, the two sisters were urgently told that the Radiant Garden kingdom had offered their alliance over their kingdom through a betrothed marriage. Their father, Eraqus, thoughtfully accepted it but he had a hard time deciding over which one of his daughters is ready to accept this marriage proposal. At once, Namine nervously replied that she would gladly to be betrothed to the prince of Radiant Garden. That was the point that Kairi could never get out of her mind.

Both sisters had dreamed of marrying the ones they would love but for Namine to sacrifice her, that is what Kairi had been worried about. Another thing is, the two sister were very close to each other. The thought of Namine leaving her had troubled Kairi until now. A few minutes later, Kairi had finally decided to summoned up her courage to talk.

"Hey Namine…" Kairi spoke, breaking the silence.

Her sister responded by turning her gaze away from her sketchbook and into Kairi's eyes, "Yes?"

"Why did you accept it?" Kairi asked.

"Huh?" Namine looked at her sister confusingly.

Kairi sighed in discontent, holding her palm on her forehead. "Namine, don't joke with me. Why did you accept the marriage proposal?" Kairi imagined something in disgust, "For all we know, he could be one of those mean, ugly jerks with lolicon fetish."

"But, dad doesn't have a choice! I mean, the kingdom's been running into problems lately and there's got to be someone to do it," Namine pressed her hands further to her silk dress, "And since dad couldn't decide, I have no choice but to marry a man that I hadn't even known in my life."

"I thought you believed in those true love things." Kairi responded, sitting beside her sister.

"This is reality, Kairi. If such things like fairytales exist, then I would have known who my true love is." Namine continued to doddle a man and a woman linking their hearts together. A small red heart is on top of them. "And face it, if father chooses you to marry that guy, you'll throw into a fit."

"Hey, I won't throw into a fit!" Kairi pouted then let out a groan, "Oh who am I kidding? Yes, I would! Because it wasn't fair for me to marry to someone that I didn't even know yet love! Stupid political marriage…" Kairi mumbled under her breath.

"Are you… worried?" Namine inquired her sister anxiously.

"Yes, I am! Because you spontaneously accept the proposal without thinking! What if you become miserable under his foot?"

"I don't care about it! It's my own decision and I'm proud of it!" Namine argued, "Father had lots of things to do and we need to form a strong alliance to the country from our enemies. I'd say that's the boldest move that I could think of!" then, her eyes lowered into sadness, "And because you're my sister, I am doing this so that you would have a chance to marry someone that you love most."

"But it's not fair…" Kairi looked at Namine sadly, "I mean, you should AT LEAST have a chance-"

"Kairi," Namine stopped her sister in midsentence and hugged her really hard, "I'll be fine. It's just marriage. Nothing is wrong except if I break into a total emotional breakdown," She let go of her and smiled, "Leave this to me, okay?"

Kairi gave out a sad smile to her and hugged Namine once more, "I never know what I could do without you."

"Neither do I," Namine released her hold from Kairi, "I thought you said you want to go out, today. The sun is shining and the birds are singing…" she motioned outside the window, "What else?"

All of a sudden, there was a mischievous look on Kairi's face and she abruptly took Namine's hands. The sketchbook and coloring pencils that Namine had hold fall and scattered into their room's wooden floor. "Come on! I have an idea!"

"Wait! Kairi! What's going on?" She did not have any time to yelp as Kairi covered them both with their travelling cloacks; blue for Namine and maroon for Kairi.

"Since you're going to be married, I had this theory that you won't go back to your country! So just for this time, I'm taking _you_ on a walk." Kairi replied in enthusiasm.

"Wait! Kairi! Father said that we're not allowed outside unless it's with supervision!" Namine warned her sister as Kairi dragged themselves out of the room, "Didn't Terra and Aqua told us to stay in our room today?"

"Namine, it's just a little walk. I don't think there's any trouble outside."

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The words from Princess Kairi contradict to what had happened in the edge of the country. Not far from where Kairi's kingdom was, an imminent destruction raged itself on every imaginable path. The destruction that was mentioned is not a plague of grasshoppers which ate every stock of wheat or a large, drooling beast that had obliterated an entire town. Instead, it was a rapidly-speed-driven van owned by a troupe of musicians that hit ALMOST everything on its way. To make things short: they were doomed.

"Move it, Stitch!" A teenage girl, no older than eighteen with red hair and wearing a pink barbarian clothes, yelled behind the driver. "I'm supposed to be the one driving this van, not you!"

"Naga! Just shut up and let meega drive, Candy!" The driver cackled madly as he drove the van wildly as if they were chased by a thousand devils on their back. He was blue, small and cuddly… and possibly the most destructive force ever to walk on Earth. The blue WMD is named 626 but decided to be called himself as Stitch.

"Who's idea is it to let Stitch behind the wheel?" A man, in a brown mullet, holds his sitar for his dear life when the van jumped from the hills and into the mud pool, splashing nearly the entire natural habitat in brown goo.

"Demyx, all I care about now is my freaking life!" A young woman with blonde antennae hair tried to balance herself inside the van but it was no use; the sheer power that Stitch used in the van had knocked its inhabitants round and around the van. "Axel! Do something!" She yelled at the red-haired spiky man.

"I'm trying, Larxene!" Axel told exasperatedly as he tried to move between a raven haired teen boy named Danny Fenton and a moving, talking sword. "Lula, remind me never to let Stitch drive again!"

"Oh, now you're talking!" Lula, the magic sword, responded sardonically, "You said that we need someone fast enough to get away from the angry Hamelin mob and now look what you have done!"

"Lula, for the last time, shut up! And _yes_, I did regret that choice!" Axel, in the midst of all confusion, managed to grabbed the back of the driver's seat all while juggling himself to calm Stitch's erratic driving down. "Stitch… STITCH! Slow down! Or else we- OH MY GOD! A TREE!" the van managed to steer away from a large pine tree but not running over a poor, prehistoric squirrel. It survived but wailed at the mush that was once a nut.

"Look out, look out, LOOK OUT!" A big, barbarian brunette man named Dave closed his eyes as Stitch rammed the van into a fence. Pieces of wood splinters went flying everywhere and the action it did not even make its grumpy owner very happy.

"You pesky kids! I build that for a week!" he shook his fist at them.

"Great. That's the FIFTH fence we broke!" The Larxene told sarcastically.

"How am I supposed to know? I had not had time to count every single object that Stitch broke in this trip!" Axel winced when their van hits an unfortunate man in the chest, leaving them behind a screaming, wounded man. "Sorry!"

"You can say sorry later, red! We need to get the little fuzzball out of the driver seat!" Lula exclaimed.

Then, a yellow square sponge, the one who had not been affected by the wild drive and miraculously still stand healthy and proudly at the same time, announced himself optimistically to the group, "Hold it everyone! I've got an idea, let me drive!"

"**NO!**" Everyone except the sponge (and Stitch) exclaimed simultaneously out of horror.

"Aww… but why?" Spongebob whined sadly to them.

"Do you remember the _**last time**_ you drive, Spongebob?" Candy told in exasperation.

"I never had been so glad to be out of that vehicle _alive_." Dave sniffled as he remembered the horrifying moment. Demyx nodded behind him, whimpering.

"I guess this makes Stitch a better driver than Spongebob." Candy deadpanned as she pointed at the cackling Stitch.

Stitch continued to drive for a few more blocks; twisting, hitting and destroying everything on its path. The occupants is no better than the atrocious exterior outside. Demyx looked like as if he was going to throw up and Lula looked like as if she hasn't seen land for years. Spongebob is the only remaining sane person who was able to endure the horrendous trip. As for Larxene… well, she just snapped.

"ARGH! That's it! I'm driving!" She tried to pry Stitch off the driver's seat using any imaginable strength that she could have.

"What the hell, woman! I'm driving!" Stitch responded to her violent outburst.

"If we keep this up, Stitch, you're going down!" the blonde woman snarled at the blue WMD.

"Bring it on, bitch!" Stitch taunted dangerously.

"WHAT?"

"Larxene, stop! The van!" Axel warned hysterically.

Stitch and Larxene wrestled on the seat, struggling to get to the driver's seat in order to get their van back into their normal disposition and in their moment of their violent tug-o-war, Stitch accidentally snapped the steer wheel off the car. Both looked at the broken item for a moment before the broke into an apologetically sheepish grin to their troupe. Sounds of gasps and wheezed is heard around the van. As if the situation wasn't worse enough, the car is heading for a lake.

"Well, we're dead." Lula said hopelessly.

Their screams echoed throughout the land. A loud crash followed soon after.


	3. Troubling Clouds

**The Prince, the Pauper and the Musicians**

**By: NoctisStella20**

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belonged to each of their creators and companies.**

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A/N: Hey guys! Happy Easter! And boy, did I NEVER get a taste of those chocolate Easter eggs. Yesterday my stomach hurl so much, I had to vomit four times a day but enough of those things! I'm all fine and ready to write some more.

I just want to make notes from the last chapter; in the first version, the musician members were five (Spongebob, Manny Rivera, Frieda, Sonic and Stitch) and they are mostly served for comic relief but as I read them again, I feel that these guys were written as if they were an extra in a fan-make so I rewrote them again so that they would at least serve as a proper supporting character as well as the source of all comedy. Some members returned but others were replaced by some of the new characters in this remake. The extra cameo (if you squint), is Scrat from _Ice Age_ series. Also, instead of being step-sisters in the first story, I have decided to make Kairi and Namine as sisters instead. I hope this thing clears all up!

Other than that, enjoy the story! Reviews and critiques are very much accepted and appreciated.

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_**Chapter 2: Troubling Clouds**_

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Once King Eraqus was blessed with two lovely daughters, he knew that the dangers that his daughters will face would be stronger than he could ever imagined, so he immediately ordered for two soldiers who were strong enough to protect his daughters. Thus, he had entrusted his task to his utmost loyal disciples: Captain Terra and Lieutenant Aqua.

The two had been trained by their master for as long as they can remember. Their journey was long and hard but the result was fruitful than they expected. Years later, the two were proclaimed as heroes after preventing the king of Moron Mountain from invading the kingdom. When they were ordered to keep the princesses safe, they never imagine that protecting Kairi would be harder than their training. Terra would complain how much of a 'tomboy' Kairi was but it wasn't as much as Aqua trying to keep up with her. She often scolds Kairi for leaving the castle and often fearing for her safety.

In this afternoon, Aqua had decided to take a break from training the soldiers and observe Midgar from the seat of the balcony. The sight of the kingdom had always calmed her mind, especially after the betrothal announcement yesterday. Though Namine is not as close as she was with Kairi, Aqua still felt a slight sorrow over losing the princess in marriage.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a familiar hand tapping her shoulder. Recognizing it to be Terra's, she turned around to face him, "Terra! How did the patrol go?"

Terra gave her a warm, reassuring expression, "It was okay, but I DID caught a troublemaker today," He joined Aqua in the seat, "You know, at these times, I would like something to happen… like an invasion or sort. It's getting too peaceful here and I was hoping of a challenge…"

"Careful what you wish for." Aqua deadpanned.

Terra then noticed Aqua's gloomy expression; "You don't look that good, is there's something wrong?"

Aqua released out a small sigh, "Aside from that training, nothing was wrong," Terra gave her a suspicious look, "Alright, I was surprised about the marriage proposal. I've never been this anxious for all my life."

"You think? I think you should worry about whether of not the groom's gonna have to deal with the second father-in-law!" Terra tried to cheer her up.

Aqua went back to her depressed look.

"Hey, the princess is the one who is getting married here, not you." Terra comforted her.

"But 'marriage' sound _sudden_ wasn't it?" Aqua replied sullenly, "And Princess Namine looked like she wasn't ready yet. Terra, for nearly half of my life, I have protected Namine and Kairi but now I feel as if I'm about to lose one of them…"

"Nah, don't you worry about that…" Terra pulled her into a hug, "The purpose of this marriage is to unite the kingdom, right? The good news is, whether she's married or not, you're still going to protect her. Besides, should anything happened to the princess, we'll be ready," His face was pulled into a thoughtful expression, "Of course, I don't know if it goes along well with Kairi too."

"You're such a easy-going guy…" Aqua giggled, "It's a wonder how you get to be the hero of Midgar…"

"Hey, I save the kingdom once. What's a little glory can hurt a bit?" Terra joked.

"Speaking of Kairi and Namine, I wonder how they are doing…" Aqua gets up and both bodyguards walked towards the hall where the princesses' door was. She gently knocked the door so that she would not startle the princesses. "Your majesties! Are you both alright in there?"

She did not receive a word from inside. Shrugging, she knocked again, "Kairi! Namine! Are you in there?" Aqua knocked again unsurely, "Kairi? Namine?"

"Aqua, what's going on?" Terra's voice sounded worried for once.

"I'm not sure…" Aqua replied in the same tone, reeling from a bad feeling she had. Though it might be utter disrespectful for the princesses, Aqua barged inside the room using her keyblade, _Rainfell's_, force. To her shock, the room was empty.

"The princesses! Where are they?" Aqua searched the room in utter panic. "Kairi? Namine? Where are you?"

"Calm down," Terra grimaced, "If I know Kairi, she'll probably taking Namine somewhere in the forest now…"

Aqua stressfully wiped her forehead, "Let's just hope that nothing had happened-"

"Master Aqua! Master Terra!" a soldier called to them, "Urgent news from the office! We have received a word that the enemy from Moron Mountain are spotted in the outskirts of Midgar's forest!"

"Forest you say?" Terra recoiled back in surprise. Aqua tried hard to suppress the information the subordinate had given. At once, Terra's eyes turned determined, "Get the troops into the line. Tell them that we soldiers o Midgar won't let them touch the princesses by an inch."

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"See? It wasn't that bad, was it?" Kairi told Namine as they trekked around the forest.

"Kairi, what if we get caught? Father is not going to be pleased if something would've happened to me before my marriage…" Namine spoke worriedly, pushing her gown behind the trees.

"Oh, it'll be fine…" said Kairi, "There's nothing around here so far…" She carefully led her sister through a path in the forest. "Come on, the place that I'm going to show you is not far from where we are…"

Unknown to them, they were oblivious to the ominous large figures that were watching them the whole time. They were titanic and monstrous, with colored skins that make them nearly resembling to an ogre. These were the creatures of Moron Mountains called the 'Monstars' and they were not just any creatures; they belonged as the servants of the ruler of Moron Mountain, King Swackhammer.

"Ooh, take a look at them!" The small red one, Nawt, pointed excitedly at the travelling princesses, "One, two… the king's gonna promote us for this!"

"Shut up! Didn't the boss tell us to keep quiet?" The green one, Bang, hushed them all; "We can't afford to lose 'em in a sight!"

"I'll say we got in and snatch them just now!" The humongous purple Monstar, Bupkus, smacked his fists together, creating a small tremor in the air.

"Hold it! If we're gonna get 'em, we're gonna do it in our own style." The orange Monstar, Pound, held him back. "Sleek and sneaky, ya got what I mean?"

The blue, tall one, Blanko, however, just stand there looking dumb, "Duh… how are we going to do this, again?" He drawled. Pound responded by slapping his hand behind Blanko's head, shaking his entire cranium.

"Didn't you hear anything you moron? King Swackhammer is not letting that Midgar king win just yet! He wants to make sure that the king would suffer in the most unimaginable way and that WAY is using his daughters as a captive!" Pound reminded Blanko what their mission again once again.

"Ooh… I see…" Blanko nodded in dull.

"Alright, alright… let's get this over with." Nawt grabbed a hold of his battleaxe despite his small size, "It's bad enough we made a half of Midgar wild in terror while we're there, now the king probably sent his soldiers after us!"

"I hope those two Keybearers are not looking for us…" Bang nervously trailed, "I heard they're quite strong… nope, scratch that, REALLY STRONG!"

"Big deal…" Bupkus declared shrugging, "They won't stand a chance against us Monstars, heh, heh…"

"Okay! Before we can do anything, we need a plan!" Pound gathered his posse into a group, "And I just happen to have one…" There was an evil grin etching across his face.

Meanwhile, Kairi and Namine had reached into a beautiful glen in the forest. Rays of sunshine shone down towards the paths of the falling leaves with small flowers making a lovely addition to the area. Namine stared in awe at the sight, enthralled by its wonders while Kairi smirked proudly behind her.

"Kairi…" Namine spoke breathlessly, "This is…"

Kairi showed her the old log in the middle of the glen, now covered in moss and flowers, "Don't you remember? This is the place where we used to play when we were little," Kairi's face turned gentle, "I thought it would be appropriate to take you here before you marry the prince…"

"Oh, Kairi…" Namine's eyes welled up in tears, "I don't know what to say…"

"Just say no more…" Kairi hold her sister in an embrace once again, "That's all I've got to say."

Namine wipe a tear from her eye using her finger, "I'm going to miss this place…" She whispered, "And so do you."

"Aww, you'll always be my sister even if you marry someone else…" Kairi chided, patting her head, "Come on. Let's go before Terra and Aqua goes frenzy."

"Okay!" Namine told in agreement.

As soon as the two princesses were about to walk into the path, they let out a small shrill when a large figure ambushed them. Both sisters immediately hugged each other for protection. There were more figures emerging from the bushes and neither of them looked very friendly.

"Hello Princesses!" Pound, whom Kairi assumed was the leader, grinned dangerously, "Allow me to introduce myself and my comrades; we are here to kidnap you and whether you like it or not, you're coming with US!" As if on cue, his posse produced their catching tools out of nowhere.

At once, Kairi's eyes blazed courageously at the Monstars, Namine hide behind Kairi's cloak, frightened, "What do you want with us?"

"Eh, nothing personal, babe. Just a little something called 'revenge' with your daddy, that's all…" With that, Nawt throw a loop of a rope at the princess and tied them up together. Blonko and Bang began to tighten the tie gleefully as both girls struggled under the hold.

"We have to do something!" Namine hissed to Kairi.

"Yeah, but I can't think any!" Kairi replied, the tie is getting tighter. She felt the palm of her hand touching something that was hidden in a part of her dress. That is when Kairi remembered that she always keep a small dagger in case of emergency. She used that chance to slowly pull the dagger off its sheath, cutting the ropes that bind them both, "Almost… there…"

"Whew!" Nawt wipes his forehead, "Now that was easy as pie! All we have to do is to hand them over to King Swackhammer and get the dough for ourselves!"

"Yeah! And we get to keep cute chicks as well!" Bang laughed arrogantly, giving a high-five to Bupkus.

"Do you think mister Swackhammer is gonna pay us with fruit loops?" Blanko wondered mindlessly, unaware that Kairi had just finished cutting off the ropes.

"Are you cuckoo? Fruit loops ain't that worth it with cash!"

"Yeah, but they're tasty…" Just as their discussion going through, Kairi and Namine used this chance to run away as fast as they can.

"Okay people; let's get the ladies up in the hill and… huh?" Pound stared at the running princesses that had just escaped, leaving a mess of ropes behind. More importantly, Nawt, Blanko, Bupkus and Bang weren't aware of the escape, which infuriates Pound as the others kept going on with their bragging.

"-And like I said, if there's anything to do with the kidnapping, leave this to us!" Nawt grinned satisfied and turned around only to find the princesses gone, "Hey, where did they go?"

Pound responded by hitting their heads with a mace that he brought. "AFTER THEM, YOU MORONS!"

In an instant, the Monstars went on a hot pursuit. "Oi… and WE came from "Moron" Mountain…" Pound face palmed.

**P-P-P**

Kairi and Namine desperately ran their way to the castle; their nimble, small bodies are no problem in getting past the foliage that served as their obstacles. But the Monstars were no different; their large, brutish body made them invulnerable against the impending trees and bushes, gaining speed by a minute. Realizing how fast they are, Kairi and Namine flee inside a small hollow tree, hiding their views from the Monstars. Their pursuers immediately stopped to search them.

"Alright little chickies…" Bang growled dangerously, pounding his club on his palms, "Where, are, youuu…?" He picked up a boulder next to the princesses' hiding place without any ease, pulling dirt and roots everywhere.

"_This is bad_," Namine whispered frightened. She and Kairi hugged for comfort.

The Monstars kept looking out for the princesses while the two traumatized girls kept holding to one another in silence. Kairi herself was much guiltier than the other; it was her fault that she had brought Namine here without any sort of protection. Realizing the potential danger that Namine could've gone through, Kairi formulated a plan on her head. She looked at the other end of the tree; there was a hole which was obscured from the Monstars' view. At once, a risky idea came up on her mind.

"Namine, listen to me _really_ carefully," Kairi panted, "You've to get outta here. I'll distract them!"

"What? Kairi, no!" Namine protested, "You'll get killed! We have to go through this, together!"

"Look, the way I see it, these guys were smart, but not too smart enough. As soon as you get to the castle, you need to find dad, Terra or Aqua and get them here, okay?" Kairi gripped Namine on her shoulders tightly so that Namine may focus on her, "I'll be fine! You're the important one here."

Namine gazed at her sister, still stunned at the plan. Never the less, Namine knew that they don't have a choice, the Monstars are gaining on them and both may end up being prisoners to Moron Mountain. Namine finally nodded her head reluctantly and let Kairi go outside. Her sister gave her one last gaze of determination to her before she slinked outside. Feeling hurt, Namine slowly made her way out of the log on the other end and sprinted.

"They couldn't have gone that FAR…" Bupkus muttered. A shrill whistle brought their attention together.

"Hey, over here!" There was Kairi, smirking naughtily as she was standing on the ground with a branch hidden on her back, "Come and get me, boys!"

"Well, what are you waiting for? _Christmas_? Get her!" Pound ordered.

Bupkus, Bang, Blanko and Nawt all ran in the speed of a raging Spanish bull straight to Kairi. She made a big step aside of the road and let go of the branch. The branch catapulted itself straight to Blanko's head, pushing the poor Monstar towards his comrades like a stack of dominoes. Pound himself wasn't involved in the catastrophe but he sighed at the idiocy of his mates. However, he managed to get a glimpse of Namine running through the forest. His lips curled into an evil smile.

The remaining minions chased after Kairi yet they were no match for her sudden athletic prowess. Kairi keep running until she arrived at the ledge of the cliff. "Whoa!" Kairi screeched her movement, balancing at the tip of the ledge. "_Okay, Kairi… you can do this, you can do this…_" She muttered disdainfully.

The Monstars reappeared before her in a spectacular fashion: branches and trees were flying everywhere as they jumped out to grab the princess. "Gotcha now, babe!" Bang laughed as he made a grab for the yelping Kairi.

Unfortunately, through a twist of fate, Kairi loses her footing and slipped. "AAAAH!" Kairi screamed as her body rolled down non-stop from the cliff; her pristine pink gown was torn in the process. The eyes of the remaining Monstars widened in disbelief.

"So… like, should we after her?" Blonko asked his comrades dumbly. He was rewarded with a hammer on his head.

"You dumbass! King Swackhammer wants her alive and we better make sure she's safe and sound! Let's get 'er, boys!" Nawt stared at the cliff where Kairi had once fallen. "You don't want King Swackhammer to place our heads in the fireplace, would ya?" he made a slashing movement on his throat to emphasize his point.

With that, they followed her trace to where she had probably fallen.

**P-P-P**

Back to Namine, the other twin princess kept running for God knows how long. Her feet are beginning to get swollen from the running but she did not dare to turn back once. Her only destination is the castle and she had to get help from Terra and Aqua as fast as she can. Before she even managed to reach the outskirts, an orange, hulking figure suddenly jumped into her path. She screeched in surprise as she falls back on her butt.

"Where do you think you're going, princess?" Pound laughed menacingly.

"S-S-Stay away from me!" Namine tried hard to be brave, "You won't get away with this! Father will punish you!"

"Ooh, _your daddy will punish me_… how scary was THAT?" He mocked as he grabbed the princess on her arms tightly.

"NO! Let me go!" Namine yelled at Pound.

Pound did not do anything except examining her features lecherously, "You know… you're pretty cute from this angle…" He spoke perversely as he tried to get a peek under her gown, only to get a kick on the face by Namine.

"Sorry, but I'm engaged!" Namine snarled at her captor.

Pound snarled as he tightened his grip, "Well, there won't be any engagements anymore, princess-" His words were cut off when he felt a sharp icicle feel on his back- Pound roared out in pain as his shoulder was slowly frozen in ice. "What in the- WHO DID THIS?"

"Get your hands OFF from the princess." A feminine voice snarled harshly at them. They turned around to find a tall, beautiful woman holding a Keyblade elegantly. There was not a slightest emotion shown on her features, only anger.

"Aqua!" Namine yelled before the orange alien muffled her mouth.

"Eh, whaddya want, babe? Bang your key to my head?" He grinned at her.

Aqua did not respond as she took a fighting stance, focusing clearly at her opponent. She and Pound, still holding onto Namine, began to circle one another. Seeking a chance, Aqua suddenly jumped through Pound's hard stomach. The sheer force of Aqua's intense training separated Namine away from Pound, knocking every single inch of air the orange brute had. He did not have any chance to whip out his weapon when Aqua lets out a flurry of attacks through her Keyblade. Namine can only watched in awe as two opponents blocked and attacked each one another; the Keyblade versus the mace. In a short while, Pound found himself in the corner when his large body had difficulty evading Aqua's attack.

"I knew I should've gotten a diet…" Pound dizzily remarked after Aqua whacked his head two times with her keyblade.

Having enough of her advantage, Pound sweeps his mace on Aqua'a feet. She managed to dodge it yet the mace swerved to hit her from the above. The princess gasped at the mace is getting near Aqua's head but a force interferes with the impact. Another mighty keyblade, hard and heavy, blocked the mace away from Aqua. Both girls recognized the owner of the Keyblade.

"Terra!" Aqua cried out in relief.

Terra did not answer Aqua's call; he used his strength to push the mace away from Aqua and glared defiantly at his opponent. "Leave this brute to me. I'll FINISH HIM." He taunted his opponent by slamming his Keyblade down, creating a small tremor. At once, Pound's face becomes uneasy at Terra approached him menacingly,

"Oh, hey! Hey! Hey! Wait a second there! Yeah! I just remembered! I ain't good with Keyblades! And I didn't mean to hurt any of these lovely girls, yeah?" Pound stammered nervously, "It wasn't my fault! I was just following my boss's orders! No hard feelings, huh, HUH?"

Too late. Terra hammered his Keyblade towards him multiple times. Once Terra had done his work, Pound is nothing more than a pile of mush and broken bones.

"And THAT'S for hurting a lady." Terra spoke in a threatening tone at the knocked out Pound.

Immeditaley, Aqua made a dash at Namine and tending her by side.

"Princess Namine!" Terra yelled in relief, running down to the princess to make sure she was all right, "You're okay…"

"Yes, I am, but Kairi…" Namine's lips trembled.

Aqua picked up what Namine said, "What happened to her?" She said in terrified tone.

"You have to help her! Kairi's in danger! The Monstars are chasing her down!" Namine came close to a weep, "She sacrificed herself for me…"

"Kairi…" Aqua shook her head in dismay.

Namine started to sob. Noticing this, Aqua comforted her, "Don't worry about it, we'll find her and bring her back in one piece…"

"We can't waste anymore time, Aqua," Terra stated dignifiedly, rousing up to face the forest, "We don't know what they would do to Princess Kairi. One way or another, I can sense that something unpleasant is happening to her. Get the search troop ready, we're after some Monstars." Aqua followed his instructions and gathered the troops from the castle, all while Namine stared at the distance worriedly.

"_Kairi… please be alright…_"


End file.
